Vusumuzi Dube
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THREE sites have been identified for solar farms and will generate 500 megawatts (MW) that will be fed into the national grid as the Government develops large-scale photovoltaic solar power projects to increase power availability in the country.
The sites will be Henderson (Archie Henderson Research Station Farm), Figtree (Vreigevight Farm) and Manhize (Onzerust Farm).
Cabinet on Thursday received and considered the Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based selection of sites for the installation of the PV solar power projects report, presented by the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Professor Amon Murwira.
In a post-Cabinet briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa said the country has vast renewable energy resources.
“The nation is advised that the country has vast renewable energy resources such as solar that have largely remained unexploited. It is against this background that the Government of Zimbabwe in partnership with SkyPower Global Group of Companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop large-scale photovoltaic solar power projects to increase power availability in the country.
“This is in line with the System Development Plan which targets to generate approximately 865MW of grid solar energy by 2030 and secure Zimbabwe’s long-term energy supply needs,” said the Minister.
She said the sites for the project were finally selected from a total of nine identified sites based on a number of conditions.
Minister Mutsvangwa said these include the ability of the grid or sub-station to accommodate plus or minus 100 megawatts, proximity to a grid or sub-station and land availability.
Among them also being topographic considerations such as slope, no settlements within the establishment, no shading from mountains and local leadership and community buy-in.
“Proximity of the solar projects to the grid avoids high cost of infrastructure construction and reduces transmission losses. This is in order to ensure the least cost tariff to the consumer and improved performance of solar farms,” she added.
Bongani Ndlovu